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Despite a close friend’s pleading that he stop, Larry Dennison Jr. was determined to continue
driving. He needed a car for work. Three rear-end collisions in five years and several lost
licenses didn’t deter him.

“All he wanted was to keep his license,” said Donna Davis, 47, who met Dennison, 43, through her
father-in-law when Dennison needed help finding a home and work. “It meant the world to him because
he felt he was normal with it.”

Yesterday, Dennison was with his mother in their Marion home pondering the
fiery
crash that killed three people on Monday. Eleven others were taken to nearby OhioHealth Marion
General Hospital with injuries that weren’t life-threatening.

Dennison declined to be interviewed based on his attorney’s advice.

Davis said she spoke to Dennison hours after the crash that killed Edwin Sisson, 50, his wife,
Johanna Sisson, 45, and their daughter, Amanda Sisson, 27, all of Marion.

She said she and Dennison discussed his responsibility.

“He asked me about what was going to happen to him. I tried to stress that to him — that ‘you
killed people today, Larry,’ but all he would say is, ‘I’ve gotta go.’ ”

Dennison has been found guilty of assured-clear-distance violations three times: twice in 2009
and on July 30, 2013, according to the Ohio Department of Public Safety. Last July, he was involved
in a similar crash in Marion, striking several cars. No one was injured.

Since 1997, Dennison has been issued state IDs, temporary licenses and valid driver’s licenses,
cycling among the three. The department could not explain why.

Dennison’s current driver’s license was issued on June 17, according to state records. It is
good for two years instead of the typical four because it is a duplicate, said Lindsey Bohrer, a
spokeswoman for the department.

Marion County Prosecutor Brent Yager said Dennison probably was given administrative
suspensions, causing him to lose his driving privileges, but Yager wasn’t sure why.

“It’s obviously awful what happened,” Yager said. “But until we put the case together, we won’t
know the appropriate charges.”

Several people called 911 just after the 3:30 p.m. crash, describing cars on fire and people
running for safety.

“It is on fire,” a woman tells a Marion police dispatcher. “People are running from the car. It
looks like one or two cars, at least.”

Eric Gills, general manager of Matthews Honda, turned after hearing what sounded like an
explosion to see cars engulfed in flames.

“I don’t think they had a chance,” Gills said of those killed.

The chain-reaction crash occurred in the southbound lanes of Rt. 423 after Dennison sideswiped a
car and continued driving south, colliding with others, said State Highway Patrol Trooper Sean
Carpenter.

Sorting through witness accounts and seeking medical records will take days but will determine
what, if any, charges to file, officials said.

Davis is wondering whether she could have done more to prevent Dennison from driving.